


His First Halloween

by IchiBri



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Halloween, M/M, POV Third Person, Sexual Humor, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-31
Updated: 2014-10-31
Packaged: 2018-02-23 07:35:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2539622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IchiBri/pseuds/IchiBri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Grimmjow never wanted to celebrate Halloween before, but Ichigo changes his mind.  So this year, the first year he ever willingly partakes in Halloween celebrations, Grimmjow decides to go all out.  Childish pumpkin carvings, silly costume ideas, and a scary movie ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	His First Halloween

Celebrating Halloween never crossed Grimmjow's mind, not at any point in his twenty-six years of life. Growing up in a dysfunctional family, holidays were skipped right over and treated as any other day of the year. Halloween was no exception to that, but Grimmjow never cared. Costumes and candy were the last things on his mind. In fact, he hated Halloween and everything associated with it. It wasn't the holiday in general but the celebration of it that he never got to experience.

He expressed his feelings of isolation, of being left out, the only way he knew how - through destruction. He was that delinquent that loitered in the streets far past curfew with a metal baseball bat and waited until every other resident of the suburbs was fast asleep. When only the light of the moon, stars, and occasional street lamp subdued the darkness of night, he'd strike. Those innocent jack-o-lanterns standing guard at nearly every door had their heads smashed in. The crudely carved fangs and smooth cuts of smiles smeared against concrete, no longer distinguishable among the remains of the murdered pumpkins.

The following day in school, when everyone else joyfully ate their Halloween candy, Grimmjow would have none. That didn't stop him from enjoying the sweet treats though. A few threats, snarls, and the occasional punch to the face normally collected him enough candy that no one knew he hadn't gone out in a costume the night before. He never actually ate the candy though. After all, he was never a big fan of sweets, but the candy didn't go to waste.

Grimmjow always gave every piece to his little sister Nelliel. He'd dump his allotted collection on Nel's bed without saying a word. When the bug-eyed ball of energy would attempt to wrap her arms around her brother in thanks, Grimmjow would distract her with the threat of confiscating the sweets. Nel never listened, and every year she would tackle her brother to the bedroom floor in a fit of giggles. And without fail, Grimmjow would confiscate all the candy only to give it back within the hour when hazel orbs shined bright with salty tears.

The thought of celebrating Halloween any other way never crossed Grimmjow's mind until only a week ago. His interest piqued when his boyfriend Ichigo enlightened him as to how the Kurosaki family celebrated Halloween. Grimmjow never considered dressing up or carving a pumpkin to be fun. The way he saw it, there was no point in doing such activities. After all, candy rotted teeth and pumpkins rotted after only a few days. It seemed more trouble than the holiday was worth.

But what changed his mind was not the embarrassing stories of Ichigo's childhood costumes (one of which when he was two entailed him being dressed as a bright red strawberry) but the elation swirling within the golden specks of deep brown eyes. Ichigo had lit up like the jack-o-lanterns Grimmjow murdered as a teenager, and he wanted to see it again. Grimmjow wanted to be the cause of Ichigo's excitement.

That's why Grimmjow decided to call a truce with Halloween and forget his childhood grudge. It would be a brand new start, and he'd be damned if it would be mediocre. If he was going to celebrate, he'd go all out.

And he did.

His lips turned up at their corners to form a feral smirk as aquamarine orbs appreciated his day's handy work. It took countless hours of fumbling with tape dispensers and wracking his brain for strategic placements for rubber rats and giant spiders, but it was worth it. He did a good - no, great - job, and he was well aware of that fact.

"Fucking perfect," he congratulated himself. In his eyes, everything was perfect - the apartment's decorations, the awaiting pile of pumpkins to be carved up, and let's not forget the costumes he picked out. The one thing missing was Ichigo, and the minute the other man opened the apartment door would be the beginning of what would hopefully be the best Halloween either of them ever experienced.

 

Irritable and exhausted, Ichigo finally left the hospital where he was completing his medical internship. It had been a long day and an even longer evening. He should have been back to his apartment by now, but a group of dumbass teenagers did a little too much drinking and far more driving than any sane person would even think to attempt. The dumb fucks crashed into another car. No one's injuries were critical, but there were too many patients for the scheduled staff. Because of those hormonal shitheads, Ichigo's shift had to be extended far into the evening.

Ichigo had hoped to be home before trick-or-treating began, but the little faith he still possessed crumbled in his grasp and slipped through his fingers. If anything, he at least wanted to be back before nightfall, but either he drew the short stick today or the universe jut decided to send a big fuck you his way. He wouldn't have minded zigging and zagging around parents and their adorably dressed toddlers as he walked along the sidewalk. It was past that time of night though.

What Ichigo begrudgingly dealt with instead was worthy of hair raising goosebumps - teenagers, and not just a few. They moved in herds like mindless sheep. Actually, there were a few scantily clad Bo Peeps so Ichigo wouldn't have been surprised to see a lamb or two. At least lambs were cute and innocent instead of the obnoxiously loud and boisterous zombies with crudely painted makeup caked to their skin or the deranged masked murderers running through the streets with plastic hatchets.

Upon finally entering his apartment building, Ichigo paused midstep. One of his neighbor's kids and her many friends loitered in the lobby, blocking his path to the elevator.

With a sigh, he grumbled, "Have to take the damn stairs." As he continued muttering all sorts of profanities, Ichigo trudged up three flights of stairs and even managed to glare at a pair of teenagers sucking face in the stairwell. It was nothing personal to the pair. Teenagers just pissed Ichigo off, what with the unwanted shift extension on what was suppose to be a horror film marathon night. Damn brats.

Ichigo exited the stairwell and turned right down the hallway. He stopped in front of the door he knew to be the right one only to stare at it. He wasn't sleep deprived enough to be imagining the giant, black tarantula that spread its eight legs across the entire door or the crudely taped web it sat upon. He glanced down the hall and mentally counted the doors. Sure enough, this was number six.

Grimmjow was up to something; Ichigo could feel it in his bones. With bated breath, Ichigo prepared himself for the chaos that most likely waited for him on the other side of the door. As he twisted the knob and peeked into his apartment, he was pleasantly surprised.

All the furniture was still intact and remained in the same places as when he left that morning. The only difference was the decor. Interwoven with the pictures on the wall hung even more fake spiders. There were a lot - so many that had they been real Ichigo would have burned down the building and condemned the entire block. Little skeletons hung from the ceiling with their bony limbs dangling lazily at their sides. Grimmjow had gone so far as to line nearly every surface with purple, orange, and black streamers all twisted together.

As Ichigo admired the admittedly childish decoration style, he noticed the absence of the blue haired man responsible for the interior design changes. He toed off his shoes and hung his coat beside one of the dark, furry spiders before searching for Grimmjow. Ichigo made it all of three steps, one of which was over a rubber rat lying on the floor, when he heard maniacal laughter that belonged to only one man he knew.

Ichigo wandered into the kitchen, and his jaw dropped at the scene presented to him. Seated on the bar stool at the kitchen island, Grimmjow had his back to Ichigo, and a long dark cape draped over his shoulders and down his back. But it wasn't Grimmjow's odd choice of attire that had Ichigo quirking an eyebrow.

"Really? We are not putting that pumpkin on display," he said while trying to hold his amusement at bay. Keeping his trademark scowl on his face proved to be too difficult when Grimmjow spun around on the stool, carving knife in hand.

Grimmjow grinned, wide and toothy, only the teeth he proudly showcased weren't his pearly whites. In their place, a set of plastic fangs smiled at Ichigo, and the orange head highly suspected that the faint green tint to the plastic would glow in the dark in given the chance. Grimmjow's lips were unnaturally red - stained with some sort of dye - and streaks of the same crimson trailed down his chin and smeared in blotches across the front of a crisp white t-shirt.

"What kind of vampire carves a dick into a pumpkin?" Ichigo asked.

"One who's bored out of his mind waiting for his boyfriend to get home," came Grimmjow's sharp response, but as fast as the anger came, it subsided. It was true that Grimmjow was pissed about how long he waited for Ichigo to come home, but this was the first Halloween he actually wanted to celebrate. He'd be damned if he'd ruin it by starting an unnecessary fight.

Grimmjow chose instead to lay down his carving knife and reach for the plastic bag on the counter. With his prize in hand, he slipped from his perch on the stool and strode the few feet to close the distance between him and Ichigo.

Ichigo did not trust the mischievous smirk that bared those childish plastic fangs. "What do you have?" he asked as the other reached into the bag.

"Your costume," Grimmjow said. He withdrew two objects - a pair of fuzzy brown cat ears attached to a headband and a much less innocent black leather collar.

"No way in hell!" Ichigo protested as he took a single step back. When Grimmjow's advance did not cease, he warned, "Come any closer, and I'll punch you in the face."

Grimmjow's smirk merely widened around his fangs, and the man took a very deliberate step toward Ichigo.

"Grimmjow!" Ichigo warned again as he balled his fingers into a fist and cocked his arm, fully prepared to strike.

The other's advance stopped, and an irritated huff blew past his plastic fangs. "For fuck's sake, Ichigo, it's not like I'm asking you to get all kinky in the bedroom. Just cooperate so we can carve up the rest of the pumpkins."

"I can carve pumpkins without cat ears and a collar," Ichigo continued to protest, choosing to ignore the bedroom comment.

"Not on Halloween," Grimmjow insisted. "Only those in costume get to."

It was Ichigo's turn to huff in defeat. "Fine, but only because I want to kick your ass in pumpkin carving."

Grimmjow tossed the cat ears and collar at Ichigo whose limbs flailed in a struggle to catch them. "Good luck beating my penis pumpkin."

"I could carve a better dick in my sleep," Ichigo taunted as he grumpily pushed his bangs back with the headband. He fumbled with the fuzzy ears until they were situated comfortably atop his head.

As he fastened the leather collar loosely around his neck, Grimmjow's smirk grew larger, more prominent on his features. "Is that a challenge?" he questioned.

"If you're ready to lose."

Grimmjow cackled with laughter at the seemingly impossible notion. He twisted around on the balls of his feet and stalked back to his claimed bar stool so fast that his cape fluttered in his wake. It settled against his back as he plopped down in his seat and pushed the pumpkin he had been working on aside. He replaced it with the last large pumpkin but decided upon a different route and willingly slid the pumpkin to sit in front of the seat beside him. The only other pumpkins left were three little ones, but he had a perfect idea for them.

Ichigo slid onto the stool next to Grimmjow and peered at the itty bitty pumpkins his boyfriend had chosen. "What, are you making it life size?" Ichigo teased.

Grimmjow ignored the jibe at his manhood because that was exactly what he was doing, only not in the sense Ichigo thought. With a silent smirk, he carefully stacked one little pumpkin atop another until the three of them were as tall as the one large pumpkin. "You were saying?"

"Now you're just exaggerating."

"Oh, yeah?" Grimmjow asked as he stood. His hands immediately fell to the front of his jeans, and fingers clasped the metal zipper. "Want to see?"

Ichigo's cheeks flushed a dusty shade of pink. "I know what it looks like so keep it in your pants and get me a knife."

"And here I thought I'd get a quick one," Grimmjow teased with a mischeivious grin.

Ichigo's face lit up like Christmas lights. He swung his arm out, attempting to smack Grimmjow in the chest, but his target hopped to the side and scurried to the other side of the island with a smirk of satisfaction plastered to his face the entire time. Grimmjow opened one of the drawers and fished out a single utensil. He tossed it at Ichigo without a moment's hesitation.

Ichigo's chocolate orbs widened, and he hurried to get out of the dangerous projectile's path. In his panicked haste to get to his feet, Ichigo stumbled and fell face first into the floor. The utensil he fled from collided with the wall and ricocheted to clatter on the hardwood.

"Dumbass!" Ichigo yelled. "Are you trying to kill me?"

His response came in the form of cackling laughter, to the point of Grimmjow nearly doubling over in his amusement.

"It's not funny, you dumbass! That could've stabbed-" The words froze in his throat when his eyes finally flicked to the harmless utensil lying on the floor. He snatched it and stood up only to whip it at Grimmjow. "A spoon! Why the fuck did you throw a fucking spoon at me?"

Grimmjow ducked just in time for the spoon to whiz past his ear and clatter into the sink behind him. He straightened to his full height and looked Ichigo directly in the eyes, no glimpse of his typical shit eating grin, as he said, "You asked for a knife to carve your pumpkin."

"That wasn't a knife!"

"But it was funny."

"It was not-"

The familiar beep of the stove cut off any further protest coming from Ichigo as he stared in amazement at the kitchen appliance. All of his previous annoyance with his boyfriend vanished at the idea of Grimmjow cooking. His wonder filled eyes fell upon Grimmjow as the man put on an oven mitt. "You cooked?" Ichigo asked in awe.

"Not really," Grimmjow shrugged as he pulled the oven door open and leaned back to allow some of the heat to escape. He reached into the heat and withdrew with a pan in tow. He set the pan down atop the second oven mitt on the counter. "Anyone can roast pumpkin seeds."

Ichigo sat back down on his stool and peered at the perfectly roasted seeds, not a single one burned. "Did you already gut these pumpkins?" he asked, nodding toward the four in front of him just waiting to be carved up.

"Yeah, and it was boring as all hell without someone to throw the guts at," Grimmjow said as he gingerly picked up a single seed and flicked it at Ichigo.

The seed bounced off Ichigo's cheek, but he picked it up off the counter and popped it into his mouth. "Pretty good," he said after chewing and swallowing. "How about I make it up to you by kicking your ass in carving dicks in pumpkins and then making popcorn for the horror movie marathon?"

Grimmjow flashed his fangs in approval and finally fished a second knife out of the drawer for Ichigo. He rounded the island and sat down next to Ichigo, gently handing him the knife. "You're on," he said.

The two of them silently went to work but not without the occasional elbow jabbed into the other's side to screw up their cuts. They sliced away at the pumpkins and piled the discarded bits and pieces between them. Both of them munched on pumpkin seeds as they sliced and diced.

Ichigo finished first but refused to let Grimmjow get a good look at it. He hugged his finished project to his chest and rested his head against the pumpkin to watch Grimmjow haphazardly hack away at his stack.

Grimmjow shifted on the stool to block Ichigo's view. "If I can't see yours, you can't see mine," he grumbled as he stabbed the top pumpkin.

"You can see it as soon as you're done too," Ichigo stated but continued to try to glance around Grimmjow's shoulders for the slightest peek at his artistic abilities.

"Just give me a minute to add the final touches," Grimmjow said. He leaned across the counter top to grab a handful of pumpkin seeds, but he didn't eat them. He dug little divets into the pumpkin's hide and stuck a single seed into each indent.

"Done!" Grimmjow proudly proclaimed as he swiveled atop the stool to reveal his masterpiece.

It only took a glance - one look too see exactly what Grimmjow used the seeds for - and Ichigo burst into a fit of laughter. He gasped for air between each sharp intake of breath as glistening moisture formed in the corner's of his eyes.

Grimmjow straightened his shoulders with pride and smugly glanced between his masterpiece and Ichigo's not-so-masterful-piece. It was no wonder Ichigo finished before he had, what with his utter lack of creativity in penis pumpkin carving. Anyone could draw a crude replica of an anatomically incorrect dick and cut it out. Hell, Grimmjow had spent a considerable amount of his evening doing that exact thing (a row of five other pumpkins sat on the dining table to prove it).

Grimmjow, on the other hand, raised the bar for dick-o-lanterns everywhere. Now he'd admit that his initial carving was quite similar to Ichigo's, maybe even a little cruder and choppier in the cuts. But he had two aspects of creativity going for him. (1) Grimmjow's artistic representation of a dick was carved upon a vertical set of three pumpkins. The way Grimmjow saw it, that upped the difficulty level as well, which only racked him more points in the competition. (2) The creative use of roasted pumpkin seeds. Grimmjow understood Ichigo's amusement at seeing the seeds spurting from the carving's tip. Grimmjow himself wanted to join in the cackle fest, but the knowledge that he won the penis pumpkin contest won over his need to laugh.

"According to the tally board," Grimmjow smugly interrupted his boyfriend's laughter as Ichigo wiped the tears from his eyes, "I win by one trillion points."

Ichigo was quick to protest, "Now wait a damn minute. Who died and made you judge of the contest?"

"Your shitty carving skills."

" _My_ shitty carving skills? At least my lines are straight," Ichigo argued.

"I'm gay. My lines don't have to be straight," Grimmjow smirked.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Ichigo grumbled as he rolled his eyes. "We're both gay, hence the whole boyfriend thing, and it has nothing to do with who wins the contest anyway."

"I win 'cause you laughed your ass off when you saw mine."

"But that's..." Ichigo glared at the pumpkin in question. As hard as he tried (and he really did try hard), Ichigo couldn't hold his typical scowl. He cracked the slightest hint of a smile, and before Grimmjow could pounce at the tiny movement of the facial muscles, Ichigo said, "Fine. You win."

"Fuck yeah, I do!" Grimmjow exclaimed. He celebrated by cupping Ichigo's face in his hands and pressing his _blood_ stained lips to Ichigo's.

Ichigo stood frozen, stunned by the suddenness of Grimmjow's actions, but it only took a single second before he kissed back. His tongue darted out to run across Grimmjow's lower lip, gliding right over the two protruding plastic fangs, and his taste buds were suddenly assaulted by the flavor of strawberries. When Grimmjow pulled away, Ichigo stared quizzically at the pair of retreating lips. "What did you use to dye your lips?" he asked.

"Strawberry juice mix."

Ichigo chuckled, "How original."

"Very," Grimmjow said.

"Ah-huh," Ichigo murmured as he hopped from his seat. "Why don't you find some candles to put in our dick-o-lanterns while I make some popcorn for the movies?"

"Already done."

"Then light 'em up."

Ichigo put a bag of popcorn in the microwave while Grimmjow retrieved the candles he had set on the table earlier that afternoon. While waiting for their snack to pop, the two of them placed a small candle in the middle of each pumpkin. Grimmjow ever so carefully unstacked his masterpiece to set a candle in each of the sculpture's three sections.

When the microwave beeped, Ichigo took the steaming hot bag of popcorn out and dumped its content into a large bowl. He turned to Grimmjow as the latter lit each candle one by one. "Are you gonna want a beer?"

"Of course," Grimmjow answered while focusing on restacking the three miniature pumpkins and lining them up perfectly.

Ichigo didn't bother grabbing only one can each; he knew better than that. He retrieved an unopened six pack hidden at the back of the lowest shelf in the fridge. He straightened up in time to see Grimmjow's cape fluttering behind him as he hopped over the back of the couch, and the bowl of popcorn had disappeared from the counter. "Don't eat all the popcorn before the movie even starts," he called as he joined Grimmjow in the living room.

"Then hurry up and put the DVD in," Grimmjow countered, and then he very deliberately shoved as much popcorn in his mouth as he possibly could.

"I'm getting there, _Your Highness_ ," Ichigo said as he set the beer on the floor in front of the couch.

"Actually it's _Your Royal Kinglyness_."

"My bad. How could I forget?" Ichigo mocked. "Would Your Royal Kinglyness get off his lazy ass and find a blanket?"

"Only because you asked so nicely."

As Grimmjow disappeared down a short hall, Ichigo added, "Turn off all the lights when you come back!"

When Ichigo heard their bedroom door creak open, he rushed to secretly swap out the movie line up. It was common knowledge that Grimmjow loved gorey, slasher films. He would laugh his ass off through the whole movie, but Ichigo didn't think laughter was very Halloweeny. He needed movies that could make Grimmjow scream, and he knew exactly what kind of horror films always left Grimmjow cowering and clinging to Ichigo - anything supernatural, especially ones where antique dolls were possessed.

He sneakily hid the DVD case in one of the entertainment system's drawers and had the DVD in the player by the time Grimmjow came back with a blanket stolen off their bed. Ichigo settled into the couch's plush cushions, popcorn bowl in his lap and a can of beer in his hand, when Grimmjow flicked off the last light (and sure enough, his fake fangs glowed).

The soft orange shine of the dick-o-lanterns illuminated the kitchen behind the couch while Grimmjow used the television's glow to slowly maneuver his way to the couch. He plopped down on Ichigo's left and immediately snatched the popcorn from his boyfriend's lap. He reached down to snag a can of beer as the opening credits started to roll across the TV. As he settled back and took a quick swig of alcohol, his light blue eyes widened upon finally looking at the screen. "What the fuck are we watching?"

"Relax. You'll enjoy it."

"I swear to god, Ichigo," Grimmjow warned.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you from the demon possessed doll."

"You didn't," Grimmjow said as his orbs widened even further. His hand in the popcorn bowl tightened around the puffs and squeezed the life out of them. He huffed out a grumpy breath before throwing the handful of popcorn at Ichigo's face. "Asshole."

Ichigo laughed as he brushed the pulverized kernels to the ground. "You're cleaning that up later."

"The hell I am!" Grimmjow grumbled.

"Oh, come on Your Royal Kinglyness," Ichigo cooed as he prodded Grimmjow's cheek. "It's okay to be scared."

"Tch, whatever," Grimmjow said as he crossed his arms over his chest and scooted further away from Ichigo. He grumpily shoved handful after handful of popcorn into his mouth and swatted away Ichigo's hand when he tried to grab some for himself.

That seating arrangement lasted all of five minutes before Grimmjow gradually inched closer to Ichigo. The movement didn't go unnoticed by Ichigo, but he refrained from commenting. Instead, he grabbed the blanket Grimmjow had dropped to the floor, and wrapped himself in its protective warmth.

So the possessed doll had yet to make its full appearance, but the wandering shadows already brought goosebumps to the exposed flesh of Grimmjow's arms. The blanket wrapped around Ichigo was his perfect excuse to come closer to his boyfriend, because while he'd never admit it, he was scared. All things supernatural truly frightened him because how would he fight against something he couldn't see? At least he could kick a masked murderer's ass. What was he suppose to do against a ghost? Punch through air? That would only drain his energy faster. And what if it was a demon? Grimmjow was a normal human being who didn't constantly carry salt with him. What was he suppose to do? Carry a vial of holy water in his pant pocket? Because that wasn't going to happen.

Grimmjow tugged at the blanket to free the soft fabric from beneath Ichigo's shoulder, and Ichigo willingly shared it. Because he knew Grimmjow would never admit to wanting the sense of security and safety that he could offer him, Ichigo sidled up to Grimmjow's side and warmly smiled when Grimmjow's arm wrapped around his shoulder to pull him closer.

They sat cuddled up on the couch in their own blanket burrito. As Grimmjow flinched at yet another sudden noise, a yawn escaped through Ichigo's lips. It really had been a long day, and being surrounded by the comforting warmth of both his and Grimmjow's body heats trapped within the blanket, Ichigo couldn't keep his eyes open. They drooped, and he blinked against the tired weariness. It repeated - each time his eyelids fell shut lasting longer and longer before they blinked open - until they remained closed, accompanied by his soft and steady breathing.

Grimmjow gasped, his heart racing as the doll's face popped up on the screen. It was the first distressed noise he allowed to escape, and he felt the need to protect his pride. "I saw it coming. I just-" His eyes turned to Ichigo, and the serenity upon his boyfriend's face made him forget what he had planned to say. But it was okay. His words would have gone unheard anyway.

Grimmjow would have picked Ichigo up and carried him to the bedroom, but it was dark. And the light switch was across the room near the looming blackness of the hallway. No way was he being killed by demons - especially not on the first Halloween he had ever truly enjoyed.

So they slept on the couch that night.


End file.
